Ditch The Cream Cheese Frosting And Give Cinnamon Rolls A Lighter Upgrade With All The Same Sweetness

Using a powdered sugar glaze was the first suggestion in our list of tips for making glazes for baked goods. It's simple and fast, it's aesthetically pleasing, and it brings the right amount of sweetness to a cinnamon roll without overpowering it. The ingredients in a basic powdered sugar glaze are just powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. You can also make a dairy-free version using water or a boozy version with a liqueur of your choice. As long as you're using a non-dairy liqueur, these are both great alternatives to cream cheese frosting for people who don't eat dairy. You just need enough liquid to get the glaze to a consistency you like. Use less liquid to make it more like a frosting you need to spread rather than a glaze you drizzle.

Unlike a cream cheese frosting, a powdered sugar glaze will harden as it sets. The glaze forms a firm coating that's less messy on your fingers, and it also adds a bit of texture.

All the ways you can make a glaze

Because cinnamon buns are often thick and pillowy, a sugar glaze can make the whole dessert feel lighter than one covered in a dense layer of cream cheese icing. Since it's a thinner coating, the glaze lets the taste of the baked roll and cinnamon come through instead of overwhelming it all with cream cheese flavor.

Another upside to a powdered sugar glaze is that, if you make it thinner, it can soak into the buns to make them moister and sweeter. This is especially helpful if you have day-old cinnamon buns that have become a little dry and stale. After warming the buns in the microwave, add a little fresh glaze, and they'll be as good as new in just a few seconds. However, keep in mind that unglazed cinnamon rolls reheat better, so if you plan on having leftovers, don't glaze your entire batch after it's finished baking. It will be easy enough to whip up some fresh glaze when you want to eat those extra rolls.

You can give your glaze a little flavor boost if you find the plain sugar glaze too boring. Cinnamon is a strong flavor, but there are some others that complement it nicely. An orange glaze made with zest and some juice would bring a citrusy zing. You could also use lemon for a sharper, more tart flavor. We've recommended a coffee glaze in the past, but try coffee and maple syrup, too. Mixed with powdered sugar, maple syrup adds a deep, caramel-like sweetness while coffee brings a rich, roasted flavor that plays off the cinnamon and keeps the glaze from tasting like pure sugar.